From $2 Candy Bars to $200 Tasting Menus—Here’s What to Eat and Drink in Seattle No Matter How Much Money You Have

You know you have to eat. The truth that so often gets lost in the hustle of day-to-day life is that you deserve to eat well.

You deserve a meal, a snack, a sip of a cocktail or iced coffee that makes you groan with delight when it first hits your tastebuds. You deserve a hamburger, a bowl of pasta, and a bite of cake so thoughtfully balanced that you squeeze your eyes shut as you chew so as to not be distracted from all the flavors and textures commingling in your mouth.

This isn’t about getting the most food for your money—there are plenty of spots in Seattle that will fill you up with a decent meal for $10 or less—it’s about experiencing the most satisfying food your money can buy. From a $2 candy bar that has been scientifically proven to be so complex that your body physically craves more, to a $200 tasting menu and wine pairing that uses every ounce of an animal—the bone, the tail, the fat—to bring to mind, magically, memories of simple diner food. 

Decadence doesn’t have to mean deep pockets—culinary gratification can be found in the crunchy caramelized crust of $4.75 slice of deep-dish pizza just as it can in a $40 wagyu steak brought to the table still sizzling on a hot stone. Here are 35 things you can eat and drink in Seattle that will make your brain’s pleasure center light up like a colony of photobacterium on an anglerfish’s esca—so cool!—no matter how much money you have to spend.